September 2012

press release:
Neighborhood House has promoted Miryam Laytner to the role of Director of Development and Advancement, effective Sept. 1, 2012. A Neighborhood House employee for three years, Laytner previously worked as the agency’s Public Grants Manager, responsible for overseeing the preparation and submittal of major grant proposals across all of Neighborhood House’s departments. Laytner will take her breadth of experience from her previous role, as well as her creative energy and good humor, into her new position as the chief of Neighborhood House’s fundraising, development and advancement efforts.

“Miryam’s work has been vital to our efforts to fund and expand our programs that serve low-income communities,” said Executive Director Mark Okazaki. “She has been instrumental in the planning of our High Point PROMISE initiative, and has brought home millions in public funds that go directly to support the individuals and families that we serve.”

press release:
Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Associated Recreation Council are excited to announce a series of family fun entertainment on the third Saturday of each month starting in September. High Point community Center located at 6920 34th Ave SW host the fun shows for all ages. Each event starts at 10:30 a.m. and is $3 per person for advance tickets and $5 per person the day of the show. There is a $20 maximum for families.

The Not-It’s will kick-off the series on Saturday, September 15, 2012 followed by Magic Family Fun with Louie the Fox on October 20, “Singing Thanksgiving” with the Harmonica Pocket on November 17, the Reptile Man on December 15, Casper Babypants on Jan 19, Zambuko Marimba Ensemble on February 16 and the final show on March 16, 2013 by Recess Monkey.

Like us on facebook and keep up to date with what is happening at your West Seattle Community Centers https://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Seattle-Community-Centers/103150522… For more information about the Family Fun Series contact High Point Community Center at 206-684-7422.

Press release:

More Highline Kindergarteners will learn a second language at school starting next fall. Highline will open new dual language programs at White Center Heights and Madrona elementary schools. Each school will have two dual-language Kindergarten classes starting in fall 2013.

Madrona will offer Spanish immersion. At White Center Heights, there will be one Vietnamese immersion and one Spanish immersion class. Half of the students in each program are native English speakers and half are native speakers of the other language. Students spend 50 percent of every day learning in English and the other 50% learning in the second language.

Each year, the schools will add a grade level as students progress through each grade and new Kindergarteners enter the program every fall.

Hilltop and Mount View elementary schools were the first two schools in the district to offer Spanish dual language programs. The first cohort at Hilltop will enter 7th grade in 2015. Highline plans to expand dual language to middle school at that time.

Easy Street Records, the record store, cafe, and frequent performance space in the West Seattle Junction (another location is on Mercer in Queen Anne) was named today as a finalist for Small Business of the Year by King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Constantine (who lives in West Seattle and is often seen at Easy Street) – in partnership with award sponsors KeyBank, Microsoft Corporation, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, enterpriseSeattle, and the Small Business Partners for Prosperity – named 21 finalists in seven categories for the second annual King County Executive’s Small Business Awards.

In a press release from the Executive's office they said:

“Last year’s awards were a great way to introduce people to our diverse local economy, and this year’s awards will be even better as we showcase how small businesses create jobs in our region,” said Executive Constantine.

Update for Oct. 24

Mary Celeste Park, 54, is no longer facing first degree theft charges after she was accused in August of stealing $50,000 from a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor and West Seattle resident.

According to court documents filed on the 18th, King County prosecutors dropped charges against Park, who was hired as a caretaker for Hermine Berner, because "the ends of justice do not warrant further proceedings in this matter ...," although further investigation into the case is a possibility.

Park was arrested on Aug. 16 after the Berner's daughter, Judy Townsend, told police she believed the caretaker had stolen $50,000 in cash her mother had stashed in a her pantry.

Townsend also alleged Park withheld medications from her mother, although charges were not filed based on those accusations.

When police served a warrant on Park's home they did not find the $50,000. She told police she had found $900 stashed in the pantry, and Berner had given her $100 of it as a "finder's fee."

Seattle Parks and Recreation announced today that it has awarded the construction contract for the Roxhill and Judkins skatespots to West Seattle based Grindline Inc. Grindline will begin construction on September 10, 2012 on both projects. Grindline, whom the West Seattle Herald profiled last year during their construction of the Delridge Skatepark began here in the 1990's as a group of friends.

The Roxhill project also includes the renovation of the play area. The play area at Roxhill will close when skatespot construction begins on Monday. The Roxhill Skatespot and play area is located at 2850 s.w. Roxbury at the corner of s.w. Barton and 29th Ave. s.w.

The Judkins Skatespot is located in South Seattle at 2100 South Judkins Street.

Cell phone batteries collectively drained as parents snapped photos and shot video of their children’s first day at K-5 STEM on Sept. 5, documenting not only an important milestone for West Seattle families, but for Seattle Public Schools as well.

New SPS Superintendent Jose Banda started his day off at the first elementary-level STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program for Seattle, greeting students and parents as they arrived at the Louisa Boren building on Delridge Way S.W.

Leah Mendel, got her dog Chesai, (that she and her husband call "Cheese"), adopted her from a family in West Seattle that was looking for a better home for her. "She was kind of a neighborhood dog that seemed to fit in better in our household than where she was," explained Mendel. Her name is Japanese and it means "little or small" and she came with the name. Mendel studied Japanese in college so when this dog came into their lives that was part of the fit.

Chesai is eleven years old and Mendel describes her as "a mutt with Labrador Retriever, German Short Hair Pointer and we don't know what else, but maybe Shepherd because she's got those Merle eyes.

Mendel was married on Memorial Day weekend and they got the dog shortly thereafter.

You may recall that the weather at that time was rainy and Chesai actually came in out the rain, "She was known as being an escape artist," Mendel explained.

The world’s largest-diameter tunnel-boring machine will arrive in Seattle next year to carry out the tunnel building proccess for the SR 99 tunnel. On Thursday Sept. 6 the Washington State Department of Transportation is inviting the public to tour the area of the work zone for the project.

The tour is a mile-long, round-trip walk along the bicycle/pedestrian path adjacent to the construction site. Visitors will see crews dig the launch pit for the 300-foot-long tunnel-boring machine and get explanations of the equipment being used to do the work.

“There’s a lot of amazing equipment and activity happening on site right now and we want people to see and understand what’s going on,” said Linea Laird, Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program administrator. “This is the first of many opportunities we’ll offer for a better glimpse of construction.”

Work crews are currently digging the 80-foot-deep pit where the machine will begin boring the tunnel. Also under construction is a new overpass and the completion of a new section of SR 99 which will replace the south end of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Many in West Seattle are familiar with the AARF organization and have met Erin Halter and Heather Johnson Enajibi at their booth, and table, at our street fairs, and at Feedback Lounge, Beveridge Pace, and Rocksport.

From Animal Aid & Rescue Foundation, or AARF:

Join AARF for our 4th Annual Whine and Cheese Live Auction at Vino Bello Wine Bar & Shop, 636 SW 152nd St. - F, in Burien. Your $25 donation will get you 2 drinks and 1 raffle ticket. We have lots of great items up for auction and raffle this year. Some of the amazing items we have included are a behind the scenes tour of the Seattle Aquarium, tickets to any Showbox show, designer sunglasses, restaurant certificates, wonderful stuff for your animals, group bowling and much more! We also have a bunch of fantastic raffle prizes. Once again we are super duper excited to have Charlie Beck & Tony Leamer back as our MC's; it's sure to be a memorable night!

tickets can be purchased in advance here.